Pitt Star LB Declares for NFL Draft

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers star linebacker Kyle Louis has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and will not participate in the Military Bowl against East Carolina, he announced on X.

Louis is the first Pitt player to declare for the draft this postseason.

Love🦈🤞🏽🤞🏽 pic.twitter.com/TB1PtZkLio
— Kyle Louis⁹🦈 (@K_009r) December 19, 2025

This was expected after Louis had two impressive seasons in 2024 and 2025. He was listed as a top 100 prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated, and although he was a star at outside linebacker, he is being evaluated as a safety by some with his 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame.

According to ESPN's senior draft analysis, Mel Kiper Jr., Louis is the No. 2 safety prospect in this draft class, behind only Ohio State's superstar safety Caleb Downs.

Louis' Pitt Legacy

Louis joined the Panthers as a three-star, top 100 athlete and top 1,100 recruit in the Class of 2022. He did not appear in a game his freshman season and redshirted. Louis then played in nine games in 2023, but recorded just 19 tackles and 1.5 for a loss.

Louis' career surged in 2024 when he played in all 13 games and posted his career-highs of 101 total tackles, 15.5 for a loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown and four pass breakups.

In 2025, Louis' numbers dipped slightly, but he was still one of the biggest stars on Pitt's defense. He also dealt with an injury that caused him to miss a game in the middle of the regular season.

Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) runs the ball past Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Louis has finished his collegiate career with 201 total tackles (93 solo, 108 assisted), 25.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, six interceptions, 12 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one blocked kick and one touchdown.

Louis racked up the accolades in his final two seasons with the Panthers. Louis was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press (2025) and Sporting News (2024), a second-team All-American by the AP (2024), CBS Sports (2024), Phil Steele (2024) and The Athletic (2024).

Louis was also named first-team All-ACC by the AP and the conference in 2024, and was named to the All-ACC second team by the conference in 2025. College Football Network had Louis as its ACC Linebacker of the Year in 2024, and he was named ACC Linebacker of the Week four times in the last two seasons.

Pitt's 2026 LB Room

Louis is the first of Pitt's three draft-eligible starting linebackers to declare. Braylan Lovelace, Rasheem Biles and Louis led the team in tackles in 2025, but the room could look entirely different in 2026.

Without Louis, redshirt freshman Cam Lindsey will likely start in the bowl game, but in 2026, redshirt sophomore and former Ohio State transfer Jayden Bonsu could be a potential starter. Bonsu is a former safety that Pitt added last season, but suffered an injury in fall camp that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.

If Lovelace and Biles decide to move on, then Pitt would have to either transfer in linebackers or turn to sophomore Jeremiah Marcelin, who also missed this season due to an injury, other young players like Emmanuel Taylor, Davin Brewton, Justin Thompson, John Wetzel, Marcus Jennings, Isaiah Simmons and Desmond Johnson, or veteran walk-ons like Abe Ibrahim, Drew Foster or Zach Zollers.

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